1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a safety restraint apparatus for use in a vehicle, and in particular for use in a prisoner transportation vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
The transportation of prisoners, either from a jail to a courthouse or from one facility to another, has always presented law enforcement personnel with peculiar and special problems. The safety of the prisoner and the law enforcement personnel is of equal concern as to the potential for escape. Prisoner transportation vehicles and modules such as the ones described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,470,228 (Dirck) and 5,080,416 (Dirck) have been developed to transport prisoners and other individuals.
Generally, prisoners wear individual security restraints during transportation between various locations, such as prisons, work sites and courthouses. The conventional safety restraints such as lap and shoulder belts provide limited individual protection of bound prisoners during collisions, however, individual security restraints, such as hand-cuffs and leg-irons, prevent the prisoner from using his arms and hands to brace himself during sudden starts, stops, sharp turns and collisions, thus increasing the probability of injury. Often security restraints are fastened to permanent fixtures within the vehicle to prevent the prisoner from moving about within the vehicle. Consequently, each prisoner must be individually released from both the safety and security restraints by correction personnel before exiting the vehicle in the event of an emergency.
A problem with conventional mechanical restraint apparatus is that the restraint frame occupies valuable space inside the prisoner compartment.
Another problem is that the restraint apparatus often interferes with the ingress and egress through the entrance way to the prisoner compartment. Such interference can be hazardous in an emergency situation.
Yet another problem is the accessibility of the restraint's lock mechanism from the entrance way. The restraint apparatus should also be able to be released and locked into position from outside the prisoner area. When a guard or individual enters the prisoner area to actuate a lock mechanism on the restraint apparatus, the guard is at risk due to the proximity of the prisoners. Consequently, the lock mechanism must be not only out of the reach of the prisoners but accessible to the guards without requiring the guards to enter the prisoner area.